Popular lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegoruwa, has said that President Muhammad Buhari lacks the constitutional power to restrict the movement of persons without the approval of the National Assembly.
He said this in response to a two-wek lockdown that Buhari declared in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun sSate as part of measures to curb the spread of Coronavirus.
In a statement released on Sunday, Adegboruwa said the Buhari could not restrict people’s movement without the approval of lawmakers.
He said:
“It is only the Governor of the State through the House of Assembly of the State that can make any declaration concerning the people of that State. Little wonder that the President could not cite any law that he relied upon for his declaration.
“I support every measure taken to contain the Coronavirus pandemic but such must be in accordance with law. If we allow this to stay, then tomorrow the President may just impose total restriction on all States of the Federation for whatever reason.
”I humbly urge the President to reverse the restrictions and work with the States concerned in accordance with the laws of our land.
“Also, there must be measures put in place to address the financial consequences of the proposed shutdown, especially for small scale businesses, those who depend on daily earnings and the needy and vulnerable members of the societies to be affected.”
